KitchenPod at St Paul’s Community Primary School
Client
St Pauls Community Primary School
Requirement
To improve the food experience of pupils which received pre-prepared food every lunchtime prior to its arrival
Supplied
St Paul’s Community School installed a KitchenPod in 2015 to help with school meals provision as part of the UIFSM programme. We recently revisited the school to see how they were getting on, and to see the impact that the KitchenPod has had on school life since its installation.
St Paul’s Community School in Spalding, Lincolnshire, installed a KitchenPod, initially to improve the food experience of their pupils, 80 of which received pre-prepared food every lunchtime prior to its arrival.
Three years after its installation, the KitchenPod is proving its worth. It has allowed the school to improve its food offering, with healthy, nutritious and balanced meals produced fresh each day by a dedicated team, including breads and desserts. More than 140 pupils now have school meals regularly.
Engagement in food education is also thriving at the school, aided by the KitchenPod.
The school has a vibrant and extensive outdoor curriculum and invite their pupils to work in the open air in regular classes.
Head teacher Kira Nicholls said: “What the KitchenPod has given us is the ability to add another dimension to our food education. By working in the polytunnel and seeing the food they grow making it into their food, it teaches the children the importance of fresh food and also gives them a sense of pride. The food we serve our children has improved since the installation of the kitchen and the catering team are a fully integrated part of the school family. We are delighted with the effect the KitchenPod has had.”
Denise Hornsey, Food Education Project Officer for Lincolnshire County Council, said: “PKL have installed 7 KitchenPods for us in Lincolnshire primary schools over the last 5 years, and we are very pleased at how they have helped our schools improve the uptake of school meals, the quality of the meals on offer and boost children’s understanding of food, its importance and its production.”
Years 5 and 6 have the opportunity to work in a purpose-built polytunnel. The pupils have been growing vegetables and fruit, including creating growing plans and harvesting when the food is ripe. This lovingly grown produce is then used in the KitchenPod to help create the nutritious meals each child now receives.
The school is also hosts regular food classes and family days in which children cook for their parents, and part of these meals are provided by the KitchenPod.
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